The latest development in the illegal demolition of the Corkman Irish Pub in Carlton sees the developers who razed the building now challenging the directive to rebuild the pub.
Developers Stefce Kutlesovski and Raman Shaqiri purchased the inner-city Melbourne pub and razed it without Council approval in late 2016, and also illegally dumped asbestos from the site elsewhere without the Environmental Protection Agency’’s (EPA) consent.
In late February, the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) and the City of Melbourne jointly charged the developers individually and their business with 16 offenses, including demolishing without a building permit, failing to comply with an order to stop building work, carrying out demolition work while unregistered and contraventions of the planning legislation.
The illegal demolition of Corkman Irish Pub created such a public furore that Kutlesovski and Shaqiri stated that they would rebuild the pub, and Planning Minster Richard Wynne also started proceedings with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to ensure that that would be the case.
News Limited is now reporting that the developers are contesting the instructions in the Supreme Court of Victoria, with the intentions to build apartments on the Leicester Street site.
In response to the brazen demolition, the Victorian Government passed The Heritage Act 2017 in late October, which doubles the penalties for developers who flout building regulations for heritage buildings
The Hon Richard Wynne said that the harsher penalties would ensure that developers adhere to regulations more closely in future.
“A hundred years of history can be destroyed by one developer who has no regard for the rules. We’re putting a stop to that.”
“Our heritage is our history and it gives us all a great sense of pride. It’s a big driver of tourism and a rare chance to educate kids about our past.”
He continued: “These new laws will ensure our penalties are a deterrent, and not just the price of doing business in Victoria.”